We were persuaded not to take the dirt road from Kuruman, through Vanzylsrus, to TR but on our way home from KTP we decided to throw caution to the wind & try this route.It turned out to be really nice. Obviously not a brilliant idea in a sedan but they are busy tarring this road west from Kuruman towards Vanzylsrus / TR so it’s now only about 150km’s of dirt outside TR & it’s not too badly corrugated (the park roads are far worse) and with a 4x4 or SUV & tyres deflated to 1.6bar, it’s a very pleasant & scenic drive. It also cuts about 2 hours off the total TR / JHB trip time.

I found this route much more scenic & pleasant compared to the road between Upington & TR.

Hope this helps

Nats x

Treat the earth well... It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.

This is a great road to travel....see it as part of your holiday and not just a way to reach you destination. The best guys to contact re the condition of the road is the SAPS on Vanzylsrus....they are very helpful.
You can look at the first part of my Nov trip report to get an idea of what this road entails.
Jumbo and SO in Kgalagadi: Nov 2007

Greetings, had a similar response when posing the question re: road condition on another board. Route via Vanzyls variously described as an axle breaker, warning also that this should not be attempted solo etc.

The prospect of this route on again, this for our forthcoming June'08 trip, question remains regarding avail. of camping accommodation somewhere along that stretch (beyond Kuruman). Basic amenities would be alright, hot & cold running tomato sauce, not a requirement! Any suggestions most welcome.

Can anyone tell me waht the road is like now from TR to Kuruman? We will be travelling to TR the conventional way (via Upington) but need to get to JHB on the way back and thought this might be a better route. In 'the good old days' it was a real bone shaker and the Windhoek Lager was very welcome at the end of the trip. Have heard that it is now tarred but would love confirmation. 263 sleeps to go!

We travelled that road on 05th May'09, coming back from KTP. I can truely recommend it.

We actually found two graders on that road. Immediately after going past Ashkam, the road was very badly corrugated, but approx 10 - 15km further on we found signs of the first grader.

If the grader has past only one way, one has a tendency to drive on the smooth, freshly graded surface. This could happen that you then drive on the wrong side of the road. This happened to us when one of the locals travelled on the wrong side of the road.

Approx 55km outside of Van Zylsrus going towards Hotazel, the gravel road ends and becomes tar. Shortly after starting on the tar road, we encountered two herds of Kudu cows about 5km apart, standing next to the road.

If anyone has recently travelled from Kuruman to Ashkam via Van Zylsrust on the dirt road I would appreciate an update on the condition of the road. I will not be in a hurry so it is not about how long but I do not want to loose tyres (I am driving a SUV)

I would not suggest the Van Zyl's Rus road, after the latest rains we have had.....try and stay away from it. We do have people driving the road on a frequent basis and they have said that there is a part of the road which is good the rest of the road is horrible.

TobieO, this is also encouraging feedback. I also phoned a few farmers and decided to give it a go. I am leaving soon to spend tonight in Kuruman and hopefully tomorrow it is "plain sailing" and not "corrugated bumping" to Askham!! Will post when I get back.